Method and machine for cleaning and polishing fibers



March 12, 1929. BALDINGER 1,704,877

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING FIBERS Filed April 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 12, 1929. J. BALDlNGER 1,704,877

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING FIBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Filed April 7, 1925 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATE {PATENT OFFICE.

JOHANN BALDINGER, or AnBon'I-EsrATE, EAST AFRICA.

' METHOD AND Macrame non CLEANING AND POLISHING FIBERS.

Application filed April 7, 1925. Serial no. 21,448.

and conducting them with a change of grip ping point between pairs of cleaning drums which are provided wlth' cleaning devices such as combs, teeth, rakes, brushes, or the like, and operate. upon the bundle of fibers from the gripping point toward the ends of the bundles. In the known cleaningprocesses of thissart the same side of the fiber bundles is operated upon at each cleaning station, so that the cleaning of the fibers is incomplete.

The object ofthe invention is to provide improvements in the method of and means for carrying out these cleaning andpolishing processes.

According to. the present invention the fiber bundles are so conducted through the cleaning stations that at each station a different surface of the fiber'bundles is presented to the cleaning devices- That. is to say during a continuous procedure different surfaces of the fiber bundles or bundle ends are operated upon. In this way the'cleaning processis considerably improved. This manner ofjope'ration uponthe fiber bun dles is carriedout, for example, by automatically turning over the fiber bundles between thefirstand second cleaning stations at which the bundles are cleaned downwardly. An embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of example, on the accompanying drawing, in which I ii Figs. 1 and 2. show the cleaning means respectively inelevation' and in plan view,

Fig. 3 shows a cleaning knife in combination with the entrance and outlet of the drum, Fig. 4 is-a diagrammatic view of the cleaning machine'seen from the entrance side and shows especially the first pair of cleaning drums which in this case have eight cleaning knives instead of four as in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 4 showing the pair of cleaning drums with divided shoe and conveying disk between the two parts of the shoe, I Fig. 6 illustrates the cleaning process on the first pair o'f'cleaning drums shown in Fig. 7 illustrates the cleaning process on p the second pair "of cleaning drums shown in Fig. .5, and f Fig. 8 is an elevation of thesecond set of cleaning drums taken in the direction of thearrow at the right of Fig.1.

As the fibers never come out of theflesh stripping machineperfectly clean, some particles of leaf flesh adhering'always to the fibers, and as after the drying they are of dull color, they must be cleaned and polished.

This has hitherto been done mainly by'hand insuch, a manner that the fibers, packed in, bundles were fed ,to a cleaning drum, the

cleaning devices of which, made from 'piassava fiber or from metal wire, cleaned the one end of the bundle whereupon the bundle was turned and the other end sub jectedto the cleaning. This work isdangerousfor the persons who carryitfout.

In the'cleaning machine shown in Figs. 1

to the conveyor (chain, rope or the like) is deslgnated by 7. 8 is the feeding disk forthe first pair of cleaning drums 9, 1'0. Between the two cleaningdrums 9 and 10 the common double-shoe 11 isarranged as'shownin Fig. 4. For the second pair of cleaning drums 14 and 15 the feeding disk 13v projects. from below through the double shoe 11 as shown in Fig. 5. Between the two pairs of cleaning drums the reversing roller system-12 is arranged which serves to clamp another point" of the fibersadjacent to thepoint which has been clamped at the first pair ofcleaning drums so that the part of] the fiber fleece which owing to the previous clamping has re mained uncleaned is made accessible for the cleaning in thenext followingpair of cleaning drums. The cleaning drums are provided with cleaning knives 16., i

' Figs. 6 and 7, show clearly how it is possible I to preserve the cleaningdirection from above to, below at both pairs of cleaning drums, the fiber fleece being nevertheless cleaned thoroughly on both sides. I V p r v According to 6 the common conveying band 7 moves into the plane of the illustration and draws along accordingly the fiber fleece clampedat the middle. The fiber fleece is therefore cleaned from; the middle toward both ends by a stroke of the knives in a downward direction. The fiber material traveling around the feeding disk 13 is turned, coming from below, so that its lower side is'turned upwards and getsin the'position shown in Flg. 7 down from s eeve between the conveyor 7 and the feeding disk 13 which projects from below through the double shoe 11. The lower-side of the fiber-fleece is "consequently treated by the cleaning drums 14 and 1.5 also with a cleaning stroke directed from the top downward. Y

The method according to the invention pre sents in comparison with the commonly used vantage being added that according to the new working method the layer oil fiber is turned upside down before it is exposed again to the action of another pair oi cleaning drums, the side of the layer of fibers which had been turned towards the shoe being new submitted to the action of the cleaning knives,

where'l'rom results as much. more perfect treatment than has been obtainable according to thehitherto used working methods.

The knives 16 are further, according to the invention, of an improved shape. As can be seen from Fig. 3 the part18-19 serves for smoothing the layer of fibers whereupon. be-

tween 19 e120 teeth are arranged which are at first short and blunt and then longer and more pointed so that they penetrate'more deeply into the material to be cleaned, the cleaning and polishingbeing thus carried out very carefully. The beginning of the knife, from 21 to 18 is situated in the shieldl'f' in order to prevent fibers from being drawn along at 21and wound around the axle of the drum. The part of the knife extending front 20 to 22 overlaps the right hand side shield 17 so that nofibers are pulled in at 23 and wound around the axle of the drums which could cause disturbances of working. The oblique position of the knives serves to produce an air current in the direction of conveying in the interval between cleaning drum and shoe, this air current serving to bring out of the range of the cleaning drums the free ends of the layer'of fibers passing between the shoe and the drum, said free ends as far as they are not in the range of the teeth of the lHlIVQS havlng a tendency to lag be hind with. regard to the middle part posi+ tivcly drawn along by the conveying means so that twisting of fibers could occur. The entire layer of fibers is thus laid, on the lower side and on the upper side, from the middle to the ends, parallelto the cleaningdirection so that the fibers can come out parallel and without twist. For thesubsequent treatment of the fibers, when they are being spun or woven into fabrics, it is advantageous that the fibers fall freelyand are not twisted together.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a device for cleaning fibers, two pairs of cleaning. drums having fiber cleaning means, a conveying disk associated with each pair of cleaning drums, one pair being arranged below the'axis of its associated disk,

the other pair being arranged above the axis of its associated disk, and a conveyor running under said first mentioned disk, thence under and substantially half way around said second mentioned disk, the construct-ion being such that bundles of fibers areadapted to be moved bysaid conveyor under saidlirst mentioned disk and between the associated cleaning drums, whereby the free ends ofthe b undles are cleaned on one side, the bundles then being carried by said conveyor under saidsecond mentioned disk and substantially half way around the same to the top thereof, whereby sald bundles are turned over and the other the second set of cleaning drums.

2. A. device for cleaning fibers in accord ance with claim 1 in which the portion of the through the two cleaning stations is crossed side or the free ends of the same cleaned by by the empty returning portion of the conveyor so that the conveyor traverses a sub stantaially co shaped course. 7

3. In a machine forclea-nmgfibers comprising a rotating cleaning drum and means lorconveying bundles of fibers past said drum in position to be cleaned thereby, outstanding,

cleaning knives on said drum having fiber engaging teeth, the teeth at the ends of the knives. which first engage the fibers being short and blunt, theteet-h increasing in length and sharpness toward the other ends ofthe knives. V. 1 1

4. In amachine for cleaning fibers compris ing a rotating cleaningdrum and means for conveying bundles of fiberspast said drum in position to be cleaned thereby, cleaning knives on said drum, and a shield at'each side of said drum, the shield at the enteringside of said drum having an extension covering one end of said knives, said knives having extensions on their oppositeends projecting over the other shield. V,

5. Process of cleaning fibers by means of pairs of drums having cleaning devices, which consists in grasping a bundle of fibers substantially at its mid-point, conveying said bundle between one pair of drums, whereby thetwo free ends ofsaid bundle are simultaneously cleanedon one side thereof, grasping the bundle at a difi'erent point closely adjacent its 1nidpoint,- turning the bundle over, and conveying the bundle between another pair of drums, whereby the two free ends of said bundle are simultaneously cleaned on the other side thereof.

6. Process of cleaning fibers by means of pairs of drums having cleaning devices, which consists in grasping a bundle of fibers substantially at its mid-point, conveying said bundle between one pair of drums and simultaneously cleaning the two free ends of said bundle downwardly with said cleaning device, grasping said bundle at a different point closely adjacent its mid-point, turning said bundle over, conveying-said bundle between another pair of drums, and simultaneously cleaning the other side "of the free ends of said bundle downwardly with the cleaning devices of said second pair of drums.

7 In a fiber cleaning machine the combination with two pairs of cleaning drums of means for conveying bundles of fibers between said pairs of drums and turning said bundles over during their passage from one pair of drums to the other comprising a conveying disk having lts lowermost po1nt substantially on the line of centers of the first pair ofdrums,

a second conveying disk having its uppermost point substantially on the line of centers of the second pair of drums, and an endless con- J veyor havlng a bundle recelvlng portlon runv JOHANN BALDINGER. 

